FELICITY OGILVIE: Well the fire that has been burning down on the Tasman Peninsula has now taken out 20,000 hectares of bush. The fire-fighters had hoped to put in containment lines today, but the weather has stymied those plans.

It's a lot hotter today than they expected and although the wind isn't too strong at the moment, they're expecting that it will increase this afternoon, potentially putting properties at risk.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Prime Minister Julia Gillard is there. What's she been doing?

FELICITY OGILVIE: She's been touring the fire control centre in Hobart, and later on today she'll visit the small township of Dunalley that has been worst hit by the fires. But she spoke to the fire-fighters and has recently addressed the media.

JULIA GILLARD: I've come to Tasmania today for one purpose and that's to say to the people of Tasmania that the nation is standing with them at this very, very difficult time. We'll be standing with them in every way.

For many, they're still worried about family and friends and still seeking to be reassured that their family and friends are OK. It's a very anxious time. For a number of people, they know their home has been destroyed, but as yet for safety reasons, they haven't been able to return to their home to see the damage themselves.

So a really stressing position to be in. We're working through assisting with practical things like managing telephone call loads and helping with the overflow as people ring in in their hundreds to get information about family and friends.

We're helping too by triggering some important emergency payments that help people when they are in these dark days. We're working with the Tasmanian Government on that and we have also triggered for a number of areas, the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment, to give people some assistance to help them through.

And we will be assessing the damage and what needs to be done to help communities rebuild.

I think the Tasmanian Fire Service and Tasmanian Police, and indeed all of the agencies and authorities have been doing everything they can in what are incredibly difficult circumstances to support people through.

So this is a time where we've got to be pulling together and making the best of what inevitably are very difficult days. But this, you know, immediate crisis has been worked on very professionally and hard by the people you see standing behind me and so many others that they represent.